KUALA LUMPUR: NEXT year’s edition of the Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Junior Championships will be held in Toronto, Canada, at Markham Pan Am Centre.

Following their annual general meeting (AGM) in Australia last month, the BWF accepted a bid by Badminton Canada to host the tournament in November 2018, featuring the mixed team event (Suhandinata Cup) and the individual event (Eye Level Cups).

It will be the second time in four years where the signature junior event will be staged in the Pan American region, with the 2015 edition having taken place in Lima, Peru. Canada previously hosted the BWF World Junior Championships in 2004 in Richmond.

“We are pleased to announce the World Junior Championships will be returning to Canada. It is again an opportunity to promote badminton in one of our developing confederations,” said BWF President Poul-Erik Hoyer.

“We look forward to a wonderful tournament with the best junior players from around the world competing and engaging with each other. These events are great exposure for our next generation of stars and it will be exciting to see the young talents getting ready to burst into the top flight.”

President of Badminton Canada, Anil Kaul, and Canadian Olympic Committee Board of Directors member, Martha Deacon – both members of Canada’s BWF World Junior Championships 2018 bid team – presented Canada’s proposal to BWF Council members who then made their decision.

The bid, which included a video endorsement from Mayor of the City of Markham, Frank Scarpitti, highlighted the venue’s prime location and technical strength. Markham Pan Am Centre boasts eight competition courts, three warm-up courts, seating for 1,000 spectators as well as a fitness centre and meeting rooms.

Kaul also noted Badminton Canada’s history and experience in hosting international events from as far back as the World Championships in 1985 to the Pan Am Games in 2015 and this year’s Pan Am Junior Badminton Championships.

“We are very excited and pleased to welcome the World Junior Championships to Canada and to showcase badminton to our multi-cultural community. We have a lot of people who have migrated from countries with strong badminton traditions so we expect great support for this event,” added Kaul.

“We look forward to hosting a world class tournament of which we can all be proud.”